For over 25 years, Bartels Mikrotechnik has been a globally active manufacturer and development service provider in the field of microfluidics. Together with their partners, the company helps customers to find the right microfluidics solution for their application.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Bartels Mikrotechnik: In the microEngineering division, Bartels supports industrial customers in the modification, adaption and new development of high performance and market oriented product solutions through the innovation means of microsystems technology
The second division, microComponents, Bartels produces and distributes microfluidic products and systems, especially for miniaturized and portable applications. Our key products are micropumps that convey smallest quantities of gases or liquids and are used in a variety of ways in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical technology and numerous other applications.
E.E: What’s the news for 2021 about new products?
Bartels Mikrotechnik: Setting-up your own microfluidic system from scratch can be quite complex. That is why we offer whole microfluidic kits that contain everything you need when building an active system.
In 2021, we introduced the mp-advance kit and the mp-select kit. The mp-advance kit contains everything you need for a complete microfluidic system: mp6 micropumps, all electronics including mp-Lowdriver, mp-Highdriver and mp-Highdriver4, a microfluidic sensor and chip, valves and the valve driver and the associated accessories.
Of course, the complete system is controllable with our software, offering you an all-around carefree package to put our mp6 micropump through its paces.
The mp-select kit is all about individualization. It is possible to pick and choose exactly the components needed for the system. This allows for an adapted solution at the low costs.
In general, the Bartels team is continuously working on improving existing components and developing new products that allow for new applications for our products.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
Bartels Mikrotechnik: The micropumps in Bartels’ mp6 series are miniaturized double diaphragm pumps. Each micropump is run by two piezo actuators. Due to the space- and energy-saving construction, they are cost-effective even in high quantities. The materials used make the micropumps remarkably versatile. Variable flow rate adjustment guarantees a wide range of possible applications. All of our mp6 micropumps are able to promote liquids, mixtures and gases.
Additionally, we offer the electronics needed to properly control a microfluidic system as well as an easy-to-use software and other accessories. We also partnered up with other microfluidic component producers to complete the system and allow for more applications.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
Bartels Mikrotechnik: Our focus market is the life sciences industry. It consists of three application fields: diagnostics, pharmaceuticals and medical treatment. Market forecasts see and expect a CAGR of around 15% within the next five years. This shows that the market is currently rapidly expanding.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
Bartels Mikrotechnik: Due to the pandemic, Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) is a big trend. Small devices that can measure quantitively with a high accuracy and that are easy to handle find a ready market. Apart from the pandemic, everything is going into the direction of individualized medicine and testing medicine on more humanoid tissue. Therefore, tissue engineering, i.e. Organ on a Chip and BioPrinting, is a big topic as well as single cell analysis, sorting and dispensing.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
Bartels Mikrotechnik: In the POCT area, small devices measuring ELISA and PCR based actively and quantitatively, like the Rhonda by Spindiag or R2 by Genspeed Biotech, are very innovative. On the other hand, the multi organ on a chip technology by TissUse or the single cell analysis by 10x Genomics is very interesting. Cellink’s tissue engineering and its surroundings end up in accurate products for helping the pharma and cosmetics industry.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2021?
Bartels Mikrotechnik: People love data and they love to know about their own body, POCT systems have shown that we can provide that. POCT devices need to become more universal for several diseases and then those systems will be a standard tool in our everyday life. Therefore, many companies will develop and finalize these developments in useful products. Products from tissue engineering will speed up the pharmaceutical development and it will make them even safer. Microfluidic technology will get a boost in the next years as well – due to the interest of the cosmetics and pharma industry.